


TAZ: Balance Drabbles

by AraeCats



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Found Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:40:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24006022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AraeCats/pseuds/AraeCats
Summary: A place for all the TAZ: Balance drabbles floating around in my drafts. This might one day turn into a story?
Relationships: Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was in a mood when I wrote this, but it is genuinely interesting to consider that the 7 birds probably didn't know each other before the mission.

It’s that feeling again. The bone aching tiredness mixed with treacherous loneliness.  
-

Barry Bluejeans has had a long night. The IPRE is buzzing with life, even as Barry trecks back to his apartment on the other side of town. Since the announcement of The Mission, every department has been working around the clock, trying to show it’s prowess and dedication, all in the name of being represented on this mission. 

Barry himself has been spearheading the scientific department’s efforts, revamping and revising every calculation, specification, and project under the suns. Gods he wants to be chosen. To see what’s out there, explore what has never been seen. To travel. 

So long days were the norm, falling and fading into a pattern of stress, work, and fitful sleep. Considering the sky above him, a deep amethyst, pinpricked with light, he’d wager it was about three in the morning. A smile draped across his face as he considered the universe stretched around him, and then-

“Watch it!” A pair of elves brush past him, sparking him from his daze. He continues on his way home, alone.  
-  
Taako and Lup have just left their apartment, barely taking notice of the human that had stopped dead in their path. It’s been a busy few months for them too, and they finally, finally, have a corresponding night off from the IPRE. Naturally, they head downtown, dressed out in coordinating outfits.

Taako is sporting an off-the-shoulder tank that is a stark blue, with white pants, knee-high black boots, and wicked eyeliner, applied by Lup’s steady hand. He’s got a ludicrously tall hat on, one that Lup mocked right up until Taako actually put it on, then conceded to it actually completing the outfit, rather than just throwing the whole thing off. Lup is in tall stilettoes, fishnet leggings, a white overcoat, barely covering her favorite clubbing dress: a similarly-stark blue dress with a dipping neckline, and a collar to accentuate her cheekbones. Her hair is intricately done into a braided bun, courtesy of Taako’s deft hands.

They were going Out. They had already agreed that this night was about the two of them, and nothing would stop the two of them from seeing the first sunrise from their favorite rooftop bar. They’d figure out what to do after that. With the sheer amount of alcohol they were planning on drinking, it wouldn’t be too hard.

As they chatted about which of their favorite haunts to hit- they still had at least a few hours ‘til the first sunrise- they passed a dimly lit shop with only one patron inside. The twins aren’t lonely, but maybe they rejoice a little deeper that night because they know this life won’t always hold.  
-  
Lucretia hadn’t meant to come out this late. She barely ever left the house after the suns set normally, but she simply couldn’t wait ‘til morning. 

She had woken up in a cold sweat, new thoughts and ideas running through her head like a song. Immediately awake, knowing she shouldn’t (and indeed wouldn’t) waste a creative jolt like this, Lucretia reached for her bedside journal. She’d planned to just jot something promising down, and then let her mind rest after such a busy day at the IPRE, but she knocked into her ink well before she reached her journal. 

Grumpy, partially sleep-deprived, and definitely underdressed compared to the elves she’d seen on the street, Lucretia found herself in one of the only all-night writing within a sketchy ten-minute walk to her apartment. It was small, dimly lit, and smelt of parchment, even as grumpy as Lucretia was, she appreciated the place. Without it, she’d be out of luck, ink, and the creative spark that had oh-so-wonderfully awoken her at three in the morning. 

She bought three wells- they’d empty so fast- and then watched as the storekeeper carefully packaged them. Taking her parcel, she turned towards home...and then shook her head. No, clearly she wasn’t going to get any more sleep tonight. She turned towards the IPRE instead and began her walk.

When she reached her department of the IPRE, she wasn’t surprised to see several people still working. There were the usual: Ingran, the elf from accounting, Cyas, the library keeper, and Johnston, the compiler. She nodded hellos to them, walking past them in favor of the sanctum that was her office. 

Lucretia was clinging desperately to the creativity that had woken her up, determined to get it down on paper. She knows her muse is fleeting and will leave her bare the minute ink touches paper. As such, she barely noticed the small form of a gnome, chatting with Cyas.  
-  
Davenport knew he was an outlier at the IPRE. His clan had mostly been nocturnal, and growing up, so had he. Even moving to Brillow, the city where the IPRE was based, didn’t really change this. He got up a little earlier, usually an hour or so before the first sunset, to overlap with regular day staff, and then stayed a little later in order to coordinate with the day staff again in their ‘morning’. 

He had been a little surprised when the day staff started to stretch that system, staying longer and longer, showing up at less reasonable times of their ‘night’, but he supposed that he should have expected it. When The Mission was announced, he wasn’t particularly concerned with showing off for the bosses. As lead astrologer at the IPRE, a trained head captain of interplanar ships, and already possessing advanced knowledge of physics and mechanics, the IPRE Board would have to be deaf or blind not to pick him for the mission.

This was simply a state of fact: Davenport was qualified for the position. But that didn’t stop him from working a little harder when everyone else did too. A human woman passed by him, reinforcing how important The Mission was. He was currently working with Cyas, the bookkeeper for the IPRE library, to expand the literary material regarding manipulations of electron fields. They’d been petitioning for weeks to coordinate with their co-facility the Materials Research Society, and it looked like they were getting somewhere. The head of the IRPE had okayed them to link frequencies and discuss sharing equipment between the organizations. 

Making their way back towards the library communications hub, they pass through the windowed hall facing the IPRE courtyard. The windowed hall distorts his short reflection, and even as he walks he is towered and overshadowed by his coworker. Outside of the window, which is much easier to focus on, the courtyard only has one silhouette on it: a tall figure with broad shoulders and bushy sideburns.  
-  
Magnus doesn’t even know what he’s doing here. Insomnia had struck him earlier that night (morning?) and he had just...wandered. 

He’d always been skilled at pushing off feelings he didn’t want to contemplate during the day. During the day there were things to do, people to talk to, boxes to fill and move, data to check, activities to get to, obligations, life. At night everything felt...still. Magnus knew that was an illusion, sure there were parties and clubs and people, but it wasn’t his. He felt disconnected from it all.

When he got that way, the only workable solution was to walk. Feet to pavement, night air moving, living, around him. His feet would take him across town, up random alleys, across bridges, through crowds just to feel that life, that purpose. And then they would bring him back. Whether the walk had been an hour or all night, Magnus always felt ready to go to bed or disconnect in the way of his own choice. 

So he was at a loss as to why his feet brought him to the IPRE and then left him there. He felt rooted to the courtyard, deeply connected to what was happening around him. Except. Nothing was happening. Shadows were passing through the windows of the IPRE, but they did that at all hours. Magnus was intimately familiar with the life here because this is where he lived his.

Securing the discoveries and safeguarding the employees at the IPRE, Magnus spent hours watching the patterns and life at the IPRE. After The Mission was announced, maybe those patterns had sped up, gotten a little more frantic and dizzying, but that only made his work all the more crucial.

Magnus turned to head home, uncertain of whether he would be able to sleep or not. Insomnia really was a bitch.  
-  
Merle hadn’t seen anyone in hours. He was currently sitting in a dark greenhouse, waiting. Yawning more like. He wanted to be in bed. He hadn’t been home in a day or two, too excited over the potential to see Portulaca grandiflora bloom for the first time this century.

The plant’s blossom structure had been perplexing him for days, refusing to open early, despite his many efforts. The only thing that remained was to wait. Merle wasn’t great with that, and offered up a silent prayer to Pan to hurry up. P. grandiflora belonged to a genius that had developed the unique trait of neoteny, making it extremely difficult to tell juveniles from adults. As head botanist at the IPRE, Merle was hoping to be the first to witness a true first bloom of the plant.

Generally speaking, it would be very cool and very pretty. Scientifically speaking, this plant could reveal how to prolong a life cycle by proxy of prolonging true sexual development, as well as a host of other uses in medicinal practices thanks to the pollen. 

Merle isn’t a loner by nature, no dwarves are, really. Merle comes from a huge clan of Highchurch beach dwarves, and born into a family so large leads to a support system unmatched by most. Striking out on his own to join the sciences, learning botany and scientific cataloging distanced him from his family in a way he isn’t particularly proud of.

He’s used to the crutch of a support system that is his greenhouse.


	2. The Picks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small update....as a treat.

It’s a subtle change, but a noticeable one. The IPRE becomes so apprehensive in the days leading up to the announcement. The frantic life that had filled HQ has merged with nerves, creating a dense atmosphere. 

Magnus watches these changes with a wary eye. He knows what’s coming is important, and he’s no rocket scientist (the IPRE has plenty), so every little shift in routine is noted. It’s mostly up to him to determine what the new normal looks like, and how to secure that for the people who depend on him. Janice, from accounting, was at the office later than she should have been; Tans took a short lunch break; Runla had made three cups of coffee, rather than two. 

Attention to detail is perhaps what makes him stand out. Magnus is dedicated, dependable, and strong-willed. He’s also flexible, deciding concisely to trust or forsake the new routine. Magnus knows his job is an invisible comfort, a background program running amongst the show stopping science at the IPRE. That’s the way it should be for security, comforting, but not confining. 

His invisibility is a small treasure. When people literally forget you exist, it’s easy to see their true nature.  
-  
None of them really know how to take it when they see the memo. Funny how someone’s entire career could be made with something as trivial as a memo. The official announcement will come, along with all the glamour that’s associated with the IPRE’s missions, but for now....a memo. 

A thought races through all their heads: “Who are these others?” The IPRE’s a big complex, but to have never met even one other name on the list? And their captain, Davenport, he must be some kind of big shot. Rumors from the office say he snagged the position without even having to compete. Then another: “Time to do some research.” If they were really to be on a months-long space mission, it might be best to do some sort of digging on everyone else.

Of course everyone in their departments are thrilled, all pointed smiles and fluff. By the end of the day of the unofficial announcement, the seven of them collectively feel anxious about their co-worker’s forced hospitality and bootlicking. 

-  
In the comfort of their own homes, there’s a veritable rainbow of emotions about being chosen: nerves, excitement, indifference, uncertainty, and happiness. The mission won’t leave for a month or two yet, so there’s no particular rush to do anything about the day’s events.

The twins spend the night in, for once, cooking and revealing in their own company, speculating about their companions. They are at silent war over whether they feel excitement or concern.

Barry spends his night with a celebratory glass of champagne, opening up a classic novel and then promptly passing out about a paragraph in. He’s thrilled by the announcement.

Lucretia spends her night researching her new companions. It’s a little off-putting that she’s never met any of them.

Magnus spends the night at the dog park with his roommate’s pup. He dreams of his own (not that he could afford to keep it while he’s gone) while watching the various dog breeds run. It’s a peaceful evening.

Merle spends the evening in his greenhouse, caring for the nocturnal plants, carefully encouraging their growth. He’s all but forgotten about the news of the day. 

Davenport is thrilled about today. He spends the night eating a lavish feast at a restaurant, alone, but content by the atmosphere of the place.

The Hunger grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Players set, mark, andddd GO!


End file.
